


Out of This World (And Into Yours)

by leontina (Leontina)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Banter, Community: hd_erised, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, H/D Erised 2018, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Mirror of Erised, Oblivious Harry Potter, Pining, Post-Hogwarts, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Professor Draco Malfoy, Professor Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-08-26 02:50:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16673308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leontina/pseuds/leontina
Summary: After several years teaching at different schools, Harry and Draco transfer to Hogwarts and make an agreement to avoid one another. This works well until a student goes missing, and Harry and Draco have to work together to find her, finding themselves in the process





	Out of This World (And Into Yours)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [harryromper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryromper/gifts).



> Thank you to the mods for allowing me an extension when real life became too hectic. HarryRomper, I hope you like this :)

**xXx**

Even after all this time, coming back to Hogwarts still felt like home. 

He hadn't seen Hogwarts for ten years, back when the castle had just been rebuilt after the Final Battle, whole but stained with bloody memories of war. Now, though, despite the lingering sadness at the back of his mind, Harry got the sense of new happiness and joy from the students who'd been there since. 

Hogwarts was rather sentient like that, or so Harry thought so anyway. Perhaps most people couldn't get a feel from magic-imbued stone, but Harry had always had a bond with Hogwarts which he'd never got despite all of time at Durmstrang. 

So when he'd received a letter from Headmistress McGonagall asking if he'd consider switching his role as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Durmstrang to Hogwarts, Harry had readily agreed. Although he loved Durmstrang, it wasn't home.

Harry loved the feeling of going home. 

It was September the First, and it felt almost like being a first-year again with the mix of nervousness and excitement in his stomach. Only instead of the loud chatter of students coming from the Great Hall there was only silence. The students wouldn't be arriving for another half an hour.

He pushed the large doors open, eyes trained on the previously _mysterious_ professor's table. It wasn't like Harry had never sat at one before; he'd spent five years at the professor's table in Durmstrang after his Auror career fell apart, but because it was at Hogwarts it just felt _different_. 

Then Harry's eyes landed on a white-blond head, and his stomach dropped. Sitting where Professor Flitwick should be was none other than Draco Malfoy; now Harry knew why McGonagall hadn't told him who the new Charms replacement was. 

Harry quickly averted his gaze, grateful that his own seat was at the other end of the table. Looking at Malfoy brought back memories of petty rivalry which he'd rather thought he'd grown out of, considering he was supposed to be an adult and all that. And so what if Malfoy was working at the same place as Harry? He'd hated almost half of the Aurors, and he'd managed to avoid most of them unless absolutely necessary; Harry was pretty good at avoiding people. 

Smiling pointedly at Parvati Patil, the current Divination teacher and his table neighbour, Harry made his way over to the professor's table without a second glance over at the left side. He was in the midst of polite conversation with Parvati when a man cleared his throat behind him. 

Harry turned to look at Malfoy with wild eyes, not having expected to have to face him so early in the term. Malfoy was entirely ruining Harry's carefully planned avoidance.

Malfoy inclined his head. "Potter. I wasn't aware you were teaching here this year."

"I could say the same about you," Harry said. "I didn't know you taught."

"I taught Charms at Beauxbatons for the last eight years," Draco said, puffing his chest out proudly. "I'm not surprised McGonagall didn't inform us of one another; I imagine she was afraid it might make us turn down her employment offer."

"We do have quite the history," Harry agreed. 

"That's one way of putting it. So basically, Potter, I thought you and I could come to an agreement to make great efforts to avoid one another unless we're required to work together for whatever reason. Does that sound agreeable to you?"

"You talk so pretentiously," Harry said, shaking his head in amusement. "But yes, I think avoidance is a good idea, especially as we've already managed to indirectly insult each other."

"Excellent." Malfoy nodded, and left to return to his own seat without another word.

"Hmm," Parvati murmured beside him, hiding her grin with her glass. "Looks like this year should turn out to be an interesting one."

**xXx**

Harry loved teaching. 

It wasn't quite the same as Auror work, but apparently the Ministry looked down on 'needless acts of heroics' and 'mouthing off the government'. Still, Harry really thrived on helping students achieve their best, and supporting them to push through to levels they didn't think they could reach. 

And just like the students at Durmstrang, the kids at Hogwarts really seemed to be enjoying their classes. Harry had never been much of a studious academic himself, so his lessons tended to be practical based, with theory filtered through so nobody—including him—would have to sit through tedious lectures. 

However, one student in his seventh year class had caught his eye. Ava William was a tall brunette, with striking blue eyes which looked too old and haunted for her youthful face. She was a Ravenclaw, and preferred to sit out the practical part of the class to do her own reading on the spell. 

Normally Harry would have been fine with that, only Ava never actually read her books. Her eyes would glaze as they stared down at the page unmoving, idly flipping to the next page to keep up the pretence. Harry had faked reading enough in his own youth to appease Hermione to know the signs. 

Daydreaming students were normal too, and Harry would be the biggest liar in the world if he said he'd never been one of them—Professor Binns had taught him for five years, after all—but Ava didn't strike him as a regular daydreamer. If anything, she appeared to be eternally sad, a frown almost permanently etched onto her face. 

"Miss William, will you stay behind after class, please?" he called out, getting only a small nod in response. 

While the class filtered out, Ava hovered near her desk, arms folded over her chest and her gaze cast down to the stone floor. 

"Is everything alright, Ava?" he asked with concern. "You don't seem to be enjoying the class, and I wondered if you were having difficulty with the subject, or is there something else bothering you?"

Ava shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, Professor. I just haven't been sleeping well recently; I think the stress of N.E.W.T.s might be getting to me already. My grades aren't slipping, are they?"

"You've never received anything less than an O in Defence in all of your essays this year," Harry said. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I know you might not want to talk about your problems with a teacher, but maybe you could talk to a friend or Madam Pomfrey if you're struggling with exam pressure." 

Ava shook her head again. "Don't worry about me, Professor, I'm fine." She smiled a smile which didn't reach her eyes. "Am I free to go? I want to study before my next class."

Harry nodded. Ava was certainly a student he needed to keep a close eye on. He pinched the bridge of his nose; this must have been how nearly all of his own professors had felt about him. 

**xXx**

Harry jumped as he heard a creak in the floor behind him. 

He turned around only to see a house-elf scurrying along. Harry tried to calm his racing heart, telling himself that as a professor he had no curfew, and was definitely allowed to be in the library after hours. Harry had never had this problem at Durmstrang, but because all his time spent previously at Hogwarts was as a student, it was hard to shake that mindset now he was back. 

And as well as struggling to transfer his mindset from Hogwarts student to Hogwarts professor, he was also having to deal with Hermione's constant questioning about the differences in how the school was running compared to their days, and requests for books that could only be found in the library of Hogwarts which she'd 'simply never gotten a chance to read' as a student. 

It was convenient that the book Hermione had sent him searching for was found in the Restricted Section. Harry and Ron had quickly turned Hermione into a rule-breaker after they became friends, but she'd rarely desecrated the rules of the library unless it was absolutely important. 

He pushed the gate open to the restricted section, the metal creaking loudly in the silence of the library. He froze, half expecting Madam Pince to come running, when he remembered not only did he have every right to be there, Madam Pince had retired a couple of years previously. 

With newly confirmed confidence, Harry went on to study the shelves for the book Hermione had asked him to get. He ignored the whispering of the books trying to lure him in as he went near them, long having learned not to answer any kind of talking book. 

"What are you doing here?"

Harry jumped about a foot into the air, not having heard anybody else in the library. He spun around with his hands in the air in surrender, and hastily lowered them when he realised what he was doing. 

Thankfully the owner of the voice—Malfoy—hadn't noticed, because he was too busy glaring at a sullen looking Ava William. 

"I'm just looking for research," Ava hissed. "I thought you teachers were supposed to support us studying for the exams."

"Not after curfew," Draco growled back. "Given Professor Potter's surprise, I can't imagine you're here with his permission, either."

Harry felt his face flush, and had to fight the urge not to lie and say he had in fact allowed Ava to browse the restricted section in the dead of night. 

"Ava is very determined to succeed in her studies," he said in her defence instead. "Merlin knows the both of us crept around after dark while we were students here."

"Excellent discipline there, Potter," Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. "William, get back to your dorm now or you'll lose more than the ten points from Ravenclaw which I've just taken."

Ava shot Malfoy a glare, brushing bodily past him as her heels clicked on the library floor. 

"Turns out the older students are just as bratty here as they are in France," Malfoy muttered. "Should have known you'd try and be the friendly teacher that everyone loves."

"And I should have known you'd be a prat," Harry shot back. "Give the kids some slack, Malfoy, they're stressed enough about exams as it is."

Malfoy rolled his eyes again. "Must be a lonely life if you're trying to get approval from your students. Let's just see which of our teaching methods garners the best results at the end of the year."

Harry grinned despite himself. "You're on." 

**xXx**

Harry shuffled awkwardly past the row of teachers, trying his best not to trip over anyone's feet and fall into their lap. 

While he appreciated the fact that the professors got their own viewing stand for Quidditch matches, he wished they'd made it a bit roomier. It was the first match of the season, which meant that despite the dark clouds, and cold, dreary weather, almost all of the professors and several of the school governors had come out to watch. 

He plonked down onto the first empty space he came across, his eagerness to sit down causing him to overshoot and land half on someone's thigh. 

"Sorry," he said, hastily sliding into the space. The blush on his face grew as he realised it was Malfoy's lap he had half-landed in. 

He and Malfoy had done well with their promise to avoid one another, talking only about the weather or their students when conversation was required of them. And if Harry had begun to notice the way Malfoy's long fingers curled around his mug of coffee every morning, or how firm Malfoy's biceps looked in his tight shirts, it wasn't much cause for concern because he looked from a distance. 

Of course, sitting this close allowed Harry to see the way Malfoy's lashes lightened at the tips, and the flecks of blue in the otherwise steely grey eyes. 

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly, quickly averting his gaze. "Er, should I move or...?"

He trailed off as he glanced behind. McGonagall was looking at him sternly, her eyes pinning him in place. "Actually, I'll stay put."

Malfoy followed Harry's gaze. "Wise choice. I'm sure she shouldn't be treating us like her students now we're professors."

"I can just imagine what she'd say to that. _If we don't want to be treated like students, we shouldn't act like them_." Harry grinned; he was rather proud of how well he could capture McGonagall's tone.

"I think we all know who the most immature of us is. You're writhing about in my lap, and you never even bought me dinner first."

Harry felt his face flush; had Malfoy seen all the furtive glances Harry had been sending his way? "Do you want...? I mean, are you—?"

"Relax, Potter, I was joking," Malfoy interrupted."Merlin, who would have thought you'd be such a dainty little maiden about the most mild of mildly dirty jokes."

"I'm not a dainty little maiden," Harry grumbled. "I just wasn't even aware you knew how to make a joke."

"It's easy when you're around, seeing as your whole life is a joke," Malfoy retorted with a wiry grin. 

Harry's mouth fell open. "At least I never got turned into a ferret."

"Boys!" They both jumped as a hand landed on each of their shoulders. "Am I going to have to separate you?"

"No, sorry, Headmistress," Harry mumbled under his breath, feeling like an eleven-year-old rather than the twenty-eight-year-old he actually was. Once McGonagall had leaned back in her own seat, Harry turned back to Malfoy and lowered his voice. "That was your fault!"

Malfoy smirked but said nothing, and no further words were exchanged between them after the game started.

**xXx**

Harry was woken up by a blaring alarm going off in his room. He jumped out of bed, alert at once, a sparing glance at the clock telling him it was three in the morning. 

He hurried out into the cold stone corridor, wand in hand as he hurried to the staff room. Like at Durmstrang, Hogwarts had a special alarm only the professors could hear in emergency, but this was the first time Harry had ever heard in a non-drill capacity. 

McGonagall was waiting by the staff room door as Harry and the other teachers arrived, her face tightly drawn. She ushered them all inside before standing before them with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. 

"It has become apparent tonight that the seventh-year Ravenclaw, Miss Ava William, has gone missing," McGonagall said. Harry felt his blood turn to ice. "Her dorm-mates raised the alarm, and per protocol I had to get an Auror's statement before I could declare anything to you. The Aurors found nothing suspicious, and given Miss William's issues with anxiety and depression, they believe it is simply a case of a runaway teenager." McGonagall sniffed." I for one, feel confident Miss William has not crossed the school borders, unless she somehow managed to beat security designed to keep out the Darkest of wizards. But the Aurors insist on focusing their search outside of Hogwarts, which means I must ask if any of you are willing to search the castle. I know the winter holidays start tomorrow and you have families to go home to but—"

"I'll stay behind," Harry offered, raising his hand. "There's a possibility the disappearance could have ties to the Dark Arts, and defensive magic is my speciality."

"And who better to find an angsty teen, than someone who themselves was once an angsty teen," Malfoy added, shooting Harry a wicked grin. "Which is why I would also like to offer my services for the search."

McGonagall nodded. "Excellent. I trust the two of you will be able to put your differences aside given the situation?" 

Harry exchanged a glance with Malfoy and they both nodded. 

They would find Ava no matter what it took, even if they irritated one another to death in the process. 

**xXx**

"So guess what I found out," Malfoy said, slamming a large tome down on Harry's desk, the force strong enough to spill his coffee over the rim of his mug. 

"What?" Harry asked bitterly, using his wand to clean up the spill. 

He looked at the book. The cover was old and dusty, but he could just make out that the title read ' _How to Conquer the Realms_ '.

"Do you remember that day I caught Ava in the Restricted Section, while you strolled on by obliviously?" Draco asked. Harry scowled but nodded. "Well I went to the library records to see which restricted books had been taken out around that time and nearly all of them about other realms, and travelling to and from them."

Harry frowned. "Other realms? I didn't know there were any, besides the world of the living and the world of the dead."

"Believing there's a realm for the dead would be considered kooky by some."

"It's hardly kooky considering I went there," Harry said crossly, causing Malfoy to roll his eyes. 

"I didn't say I was one of those people. Merlin, you're sensitive, Potter. But as I was saying, most witches and wizards don't even believe in a realm for the dead, never mind any others. However they do exist, but the magic involved is considered very Dark and dangerous, so the Ministry encourages the ignorance."

Harry ran his fingers over the dusty book cover, twisted hope pulling at his heart strings as he realised there perhaps was a way to go into the realm beyond the veil and save Sirius, even after all this time. 

"How do you know it's to do with Ava?" he asked, trying to focus on the matter at hand. 

Malfoy shrugged. "I don't, but it's a possibility; our only current possibility, in fact. I just don't know how Ava would have found an opening to a realm in Hogwarts, though, if that's where she's disappeared to."

"Well how about you keep looking for other possibilities, and in the meantime I'll talk to Dumbledore's portrait about it. If anyone's going to know about realm portals in the school, it's going to be him."

Malfoy considered Harry carefully for a moment before shooting him a genuine smile. "Surprisingly we make a pretty good team."

Harry smiled back. "That we do."

**xXx**

"Hello, Harry, I was wondering when you'd come to say hello."

Harry smiled at Dumbledore's portrait sheepishly. "Uh, Headmistress McGonagall has been keeping me busy."

Truth be told, Harry had made great efforts to avoid going to McGonagall's office so that he didn't have to see Dumbledore. Harry had cared deeply for Dumbledore, and knew those feelings were returned, but knowing all the things Dumbledore had hidden from Harry still hurt, even after all these years. Especially because ultimately it didn't matter—Dumbledore's planning had won them the war, and Harry had long forgiven him despite the hurt. 

Dumbledore chuckled. "I couldn't have asked for a finer replacement. What can I help you with, Harry?"

"I don't know if you're aware that a student has gone missing?" Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for Harry to continue. "Well Malfoy and I are working together to try and find her, and Malfoy found a library record suggesting that Ava may have had an interest in travelling to alternate realms, and I wondered if you knew of anything in Hogwarts which could become a portal to another realm?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry closely, peering over the rim of his half-moon glasses. He frowned, and scratched idly at his beard. 

"Unless I am simply unaware, or more have gone into existence since my death, the only portal to another realm which could be found in Hogwarts would be the Mirror of Erised." 

Harry blinked. "I thought that was just a mirror."

"A dangerous mirror, yes, but it's so much more than that," Dumbledore said. "Of course these are only rumours, but it is said that some witches and wizards who've been driven insane by longing in the Mirror of Erised ending up disappearing, and many believe they went inside of the mirror. Of course nobody has ever managed to confirm this theory, leading me to believe travel inside the mirror is far easier than getting out."

Harry hummed thoughtfully. It was bad news, but more than that, it was a lead. If Ava really had gone inside the Mirror of Erised, there had to at least be a chance that they could get her out. 

"Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome, Harry, and remember," Dumbledore looked at him sternly. "things in the Mirror of Erised are not always as they appear." 

**xXx**

Harry breathed heavily as he looked into the Mirror of Erised. The gleaming glass and shining gold rim looked just an enticing as it did when he'd been a lost little boy, discovering who his family were for the first time. 

This time around though, he looked determinedly away from his parents waving at him cheerfully from the mirror. But even knowing he shouldn't be tempted to look, his gaze still kept flickering to his parent's smiling faces, to Sirius's youthful grin, and Remus's calm, kind eyes. 

"What are you doing?"

Harry jumped, spinning round guiltily to face Malfoy. He'd never told Malfoy about the Mirror of Erised, or that he was going to be looking at it himself. 

"Dumbledore thought this mirror was a realm portal," Harry explained, hoping he sounded casual enough. "I was just checking it out."

"What's so good about this mirror?" Malfoy asked, pushing past Harry to look into the glass. "Is it enchanted or something? All I can see in it is me and you."

"You're probably standing at the wrong angle," Harry sighed. "It shows you the deepest desires of your heart."

"Oh, yes, I see now," Malfoy said haughtily, tugging at his collar. His cheeks had gone pink, no doubt embarrassed from looking into the mirror wrong. "I see myself surrounding by piles and piles of gold. Why didn't you tell me about this before you came down here? We're supposed to be partners on this, but instead I had to ask that pompous almost-headless ghost where you were."

"Be nice to Nick, he's my friend," Harry scolded. "And I didn't tell you about this because this mirror's dangerous; it can drive men insane. People always get hurt when they work with me, and I wanted to save you getting into trouble."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "No wonder they kicked you off the Auror force, Mr Lone Wolf. I am perfectly capable of handling myself, you know, not to mention my intelligence levels exceed yours and I was the one who helped you find this damn mirror in the first place."

"Yes, but—" Harry began to protest, until Malfoy cut him off again. 

" _And_ , if you'd bothered to tell me, then you'd have saved time staring at it wondering what to do, because while you were off playing the brave but dumb hero, I was finding us a charm which would help us immensely. But if you don't think I'm worth being included..."

"Fine, I'm sorry, Malfoy," Harry muttered, managing to stop from huffing. "I'm not dumb, I just wanted to keep you safe, but I guess you're an adult and if you want to get involved that's your choice to make."

Malfoy gave him a crooked smile. "I disagree about the dumb part, but other than that I'll accept your apology. Now, would you like to grovel for the charm?"

"Don't push your luck," Harry grumbled. 

"Spoilsport. But fine, through perusing the books on realm travel, I discovered a spell which allows the users to communicate with people on the other side of the portal. If Ava is inside the mirror, we should be able to hear her. Do you want me to cast it now?"

Harry nodded, and Malfoy raised his wand towards the mirror. " _Disputrarium_!"

As soon as Malfoy cast the spell, the sound of static crackling played from the mirror, loud enough that it felt like they standing right in the source of the noise. The crackling became distorted every few seconds, but Harry could begin to hear distant footsteps amongst the static. 

"Hello?" he called out cautiously. "Ava?"

"Hello?" Ava's voice called back. "Is someone there?"

Harry's heart leapt in his chest. "Ava? It's Professors Potter and Malfoy! Where are you?"

"Hello?" Ava called again. "Is someone there?" 

Harry shot a glance at Malfoy.

"There must be something blocking the connection on the other side," he said, lips twisting into a frown. "Ava William! Can you hear us at all?"

"What's there?" Ava said, panic now etched into her tone. "What? No! No!"

The connection cut off at once, casting the room into silence, and Harry clutched his hands to his chest like his heart strings had been cut. 

"Well, at least we know where she is," said Malfoy. 

Harry nodded. "Yes. It just looks like now we're going to have to go inside the Mirror of Erised."

**xXx**

Harry stood looking at the Mirror of Erised, with Malfoy by his side. 

Both of them had a magical strand tied around them which would tether themselves to their own realm so they couldn't get lost once they were inside the mirror. With Malfoy's deep research into realm travel, and Harry knowledge of magical safety and defence, they had finally found a way to safely enter the Mirror of Erised and return easily, hopefully with Ava by their side.

The only thing they couldn't prepare for was what they were going to find once they entered the mirror. If anybody had gone inside the Mirror of Erised and come back again, they definitely hadn't left any written records of it. 

"Ready, Potter?" Malfoy asked. 

"As I'll ever be." He exchanged a nod with Malfoy. "Shall we go?"

Malfoy cast the charm needed on the mirror, causing the glass to morph until it looked like water flowing wild. It looked enticing, beckoning them forwards like it was begging them to touch it. If Harry hadn't needed to go in, he would have immediately turned around and fled at the sight. No magical item striving for human touch could be good. 

With one last look at Malfoy, and resisting the urge to link their hands, Harry stepped into the mirror with Malfoy right behind him. 

Harry's body turned to ice as he passed through the glass, then began to tingle like there were thousands of burning needles stabbing into his skin. Though the sensation faded almost as quickly as it had come, there was still a strange throbbing in his veins, like his magic itself hated being away from their own realm. 

The realm inside the mirror was dark, the floor beneath their feet like the blackest marble. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Harry could see tiny, twinkling lights speckled through the air. He was almost shocked at how clearly he could see Malfoy when he turned around, the white-blond of his hair almost luminescent.

"Wow," Malfoy said, staring wildly at Harry. "Your eyes! You're...they're glowing."

Harry reached his fingers under the frames of his glasses, but he couldn't feel anything different about them. "This place is strange. Where do we even start looking? Ava? Av—?"

He trailed off as figures appeared behind Malfoy's shoulders, tall figures, one with flaming red hair and the other with jet black. 

Harry pushed past Malfoy desperately, throwing his arms out to greet his parents. As his fingers brushed his mother's face, the figures crumbled into ash at his feet. Harry stared down at the ash with nausea bubbling in his stomach, not just from his disintegrated parents, but from the way he'd thrown himself at them like it was absolutely imperative that he had to be with them. 

"Malfoy? What's going on?" 

But Malfoy wasn't looking at him; he was instead looking at the figure of Lucius Malfoy who was standing smiling, with his arms reached out. Both his arms were bare of the Dark Mark. 

"Malfoy, it's a trick!" Harry called, but Malfoy didn't listen. He fell into the same trap as Harry, rushing towards his father only for the false figure to collapse as Malfoy reached it. 

"What is this place?" Malfoy snarled. 

"It's Hell," came a small voice. Harry recognised it at once as Ava's. "Well we're not dead, but we may as well be. Everything good in here turns to ash."

"Ava!" Harry exclaimed. "Are you hurt?"

Ava shook her head, her dark hair falling lankly around her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag you here. The Mirror of Erised was so wonderful and showed me all my dreams—I thought living inside it would make them all come true."

"The Mirror of Erised is nothing more than a cruel and dangerous trick," Harry said quietly. "I almost fell for its charms a long time ago, and many a witch and wizard has wasted away in front of it. You don't need to be sorry for falling for its deception, Ava."

Ava stepped forwards and stumbled, and Harry caught her easily in his arms. "I just wanted to be happy," she sobbed. 

"Well we're going to get you out of here first," Malfoy said, clapping a strong hand on Harry's shoulder. "And then we're going to get you the help you need."

His eyes locked with Malfoy's over his shoulder, an unspoken bond settling between him. But he could think about Malfoy later—Ava was the priority now.

**xXx**

Harry would have never thought he'd say this, but he genuinely missed working with Draco. 

Once they'd taken Ava back to their own realm and gone to the Hospital Wing so she could be checked over, Harry and Malfoy had gone their separate ways. Surprisingly, despite everything Harry had thought he'd known about Malfoy thanks to their past, it turned out Malfoy had actually grown up a lot and was quite likeable, albeit in a slightly irritating way. 

And not only did Harry already feel like he was missing Malfoy's company, he was going to miss looking into those steely grey eyes. He had grown to enjoy Malfoy's snark and wit, and the easy banter they shared. 

He'd also wondered about what it would be like to kiss Malfoy. He'd tried to hide from his desires in the day, but at night in bed his thoughts would fall on Malfoy and the sharp lines of his face and the firm, supple form of his body. 

If the incident with Ava had taught him anything, it was that dreams were well and good, but you couldn't live through dreams. If you wanted something, you had to go for it. 

With that in mind, Harry knew he had to go and talk to Malfoy now, while he was still reeling on the high of rescuing Ava, and before he and Malfoy fell back into the easy routine of ignoring one another. 

He opened the door to his room, freezing as the object of his desires appeared right in front of him. Malfoy froze too, his fist still raised from where he was about to knock on Harry's door. 

Neither of them moved or spoke, simply staring at one another. Then it was impossible to say who moved first, holding each other in their arms as their mouths met in a passionate kiss. 

"I've wanted this for so long," Malfoy breathed against Harry's lips. 

Harry smiled. "You have me now."

And as they kissed once more, it felt like Harry had come home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can show your appreciation for the author in a comment below. ♥
> 
> This work is part of HD Erised, an on-going anonymous fest. The creator will be revealed January 7th.


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